A CHEF was paid £1,000 to be a “man of straw” tenant for a cannabis farm as he struggled to support his family after breaking his arm, Bradford Crown Court heard.

Brendon Chesshire, 25, was talked into accepting the cash by criminals who set up a drugs factory in a property in his name in Lidget Place, Lidget Green, Bradford.

The court heard he talked in the pub about his money woes and was approached by a man who said he could help.

Chesshire was paid £1,000 to act as tenant at the property and money was put through his bank account.

When police raided the address and found 22 cannabis plants, and evidence of a previous crop, he was arrested and charged with production of 1.7 kilos of the Class B drug.

There was a light system set up for the plants and fan heaters in place.

Yesterday, Chesshire’s denial of production of cannabis, and plea of guilty to the alternative offence of allowing premises to be used for production of the drug, between January and March this year, was accepted by the Crown and he was spared an immediate prison sentence.

The court heard that although Chesshire was on paper the tenant of the house, there was no forensic evidence to link him with the cannabis farm.

He was a married father with no previous convictions, his barrister, Ken Green, said.

He committed the offence for financial gain while unable to work as a chef after breaking his arm.

Judge Colin Burn sentenced Chesshire to eight months imprisonment, suspended for two years.

He was ordered to do 120 hours of unpaid work and pay £400 towards the cost of the prosecution.

Judge Burn told Chesshire: “It is always a very sad day when someone gets into trouble with the court who is in all other respects a hard working family man with no previous convictions.”

After breaking his arm, Chesshire had chosen to become a “man of straw” for cannabis producers instead of going on state benefits.

He was paid £1,000 to pose as the tenant and, if he had been convicted of the offence by a jury after trial, he would probably have been jailed for 12 months.

Judge Burn warned Chesshire: “People who get involved in this sort of thing can be pretty unpleasant and it was a bad decision for you to get involved with them.”